At the Jamison property on Sweeney Creek, Solano RCD has combined several funding sources to enact a model restoration project for enhancing riparian habitat on rural lands. Grantors and funders include the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the CA Department of Resources, Recycling and Recovery.

The project site is located near Allendale on a stretch of Sweeney Creek that features remnant riparian vegetation. The landowners graciously decided to work with the RCD to transform some of a retired almond orchard adjacent to the creek into an expansion of the riparian forest. This effort included a clean-up of refuse that had been on-site since before the landowners moved onto the property as well as the control of several species of noxious weeds- Pampas grass, Arundo and Wild Fig. Among their many in-kind contributions to the project, the landowner donated time and labor with a tractor in order to clear declining almond trees from the area to be planted and also to auger holes for the plants to be installed.

In January of 2013, RCD staff and an army of 30 volunteers braved literally freezing temperatures and successfully planted 300 native trees, shrubs, forbs and grasses in a single morning. Each plant was planted, protected with a tube and stake, weeded around its base, mulched and watered! In addition, native grass and sedge plugs were installed around the container plants and in patches adjacent to the creek. These efforts will benefit local birds and other wildlife by providing supplemental food and shelter in an area where urban and agricultural development has significantly limited the area devoted to wildlife habitat.

If you are interested in the possibility of a similar project on your land or just want to know more about our work, contact Restoration Project Manager Mike Gordon at: , or Phone: (707) 678-1655 ext 122